Laundry iron



May 17, 1932. A. H. PRENZEL LAUNDRY IRON Filed Sept. 4, 1931 INVENTOR M Adam EPrenz el,

BY i

ATTORNEY Patented May 17, 1932 "UNITED STATES V .ADAM'HENiRiY PRENZEL, or HALIFAX, PENNSYL NI LAUNDRY InoN,

Application filed. September 4,1931, Serial No. 561,245.

This invention relates to improvementsin laundry irons and it consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a laundry iron, whether of the mechanically or manually operated type, the working face of which is provided with a peculiar type of interruptions consisting of a series of endless,

symmetrical depressions which have the-particular function of providing spaces in which steam can gather. 1

A further objectof the invention is to dispose the foregoing interruptions or depres- 1 sions'olf-center in respect to the total area of the smoothing plate, thereby locating the interruptions in advance of an uninterrupted portion of the working face, enabling a preliminary smoothing out of the wrinkles and 2 a secondary finishing .of the cloth surface.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanymg drawings in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a familiar type of iron having animproved smoothing plate embodied therein,

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of the iron particularly illustrating one typeof interruptions in the working face or surface of the smoothing plate,

Figure 3 is a cross section taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure '1,

Figure 4 is a detail inverted plan View of the iron illustrating how the rim groove may be merged with one of the series of concentric depressions.

The conventional mode of smoothing articles of clothing is to apply a heated laundry iron under manual pressure. In order to cause the yielding of the wrinkles in a given area of cloth it is usually necessary to make repeated strokes in several directions before a satisfactory finish is secured. The operation of passing the iron back and forth as well as laterally many times, is what makes ironing so arduous and in the majority of cases the most dreaded part of the work of the laundress.

As has been briefly brought out already, it is the purpose of the instant invention to vidual smoothing elements 7, but it is the deprovide a laundry iron which will enable the making of quicker work of smoothing out wrinkles in an article of clothing and thereby expediting the process of ironing. In the drawings the iron 1 (Fig. 1) may be regarded as of any known manual type, although this particular iron is of the electrically heated type in that the illustration shows one of a pair of electrical terminals 2 (Fig. l) and a heating element?) (Fig. 3).

It is to the smoothing plate 4 that the improvement has been made. Near the "point 5 of the working face or surface of'the smoothing plate there is an interruption or a series of interruptions 6. These depressions are endless and symmetrical in respect to a common center of symmetry thereby forming increasingly larger steam spaces. a The depressionsproduce a plurality of indipressions which have the following important action i When the hot iron is applied to a starched cloth, the moisture will be'converted into steam. The steam enters the depressions or steam spaces 6 and in a degree carry the starch to the surface. The interruptions 6 are disposed ofi-center (Fig. 2) in respect to the working face of the smoothing plate 4,

thereby leaving an interrupted portion 8 of substantial area behind the interruptions. said area serving to smooth out the cloth and impart a polish to the raised starch. The depressionsfi have another function which operates equally as well when pressing either starched or unstarched cloth. In sprinkling clothing the water touches in spots and'o'rdinarily is not spread over the. cloth with uniformity. Whenthe iron is applied, 99 those portions which have been moistened willproduce steam'thatenters the deprese sions as alreadypointed out.

It then becomes the function of the depres-, sions tocarry moisture, so to speak, to other 95 and undampened parts of the cloth. The

steam accumulates-in the depressions as the iron goes along, and the accumulated steam is applied to the dry portions of the cloth,- serving to moisten them sufiicientlyto'result in a perfectly clean and smooth pressing action.

The foregoing actions are augmented by a continuous groove 9 (Fig. 2) in the bottom of the plate 4 near its rim. This is a boundary groove, and it occurs in the bevelled portion of the plate 4. In other Words, the plate 4: is bevelled on all'sides as at 10. This bevel.

increases the area of the working face, and 1t is within the confines of this bevelled portion that the continuous groove 9 occurs.

The efi'ect of the groove 9 is much on the order of the individual grooving elements 7, especially near the point 5 of theiron, it be ing observed that in this arrangement there are; at least two of the depressions 6 of the series of depressions which are of endless and of symmetrical formhaving a common center of symmetry.-

, Then the iron is moved forwardly, the point 5 will not alone part. the wrinkles but the point 11, brought into being bythepresence' of the groove 9, will do likewise. The showing of the groove9 is partly for! the ipnrpose of making it clear that the purpose of the improvement is not necessarily achieved by concentric configurations such as the circular depressions 6 and resulting circular elements 7 12, but to be identified withthe continuous- Jgroove 9 ofFigure 2,.merges with-one of the series of interruptions or depressions 6- in'-- stead of passing clear of the outermost-dc pression down to the point of the iron as in Figure 2. The arrangementin Figure 4 is not. solely a matter ofattractive design but also one of utility.

It is conceivable that in some instanceszthe iron might work better withthe area 13: (Fig. 1) adjacent to its point 5 left entirely clear 1 and uninterrupted. In such event. the arrangement in Figure 4 would be adopted orone similar to it. This arrangement naturally suggests that the rim groove 12 might be made to merge with the outermost depres- -sion 6 at points other than the tangential positions. p i a The thingto be chiefly borne in mindis It is intended that theiron shall be made I ration so thatregardless of what the specific design happens to be, there will be no point of egress for theentrapped steam at the edges of the smoothing plate. The main illustrations in Figures 2 and 4: show at least two of the depressions of annular form, but it is intended that the-depressions shalhbe made according to other symmetrical arrangements having a common center ofsymmetry. From this it will be understood that the groove or grooves: outside of such symmetrical depressions may follow the contour of the iron as in Figure 2 or it may communicate withanoutside one of, the symmetrical grooves and extend toward the rear of the iron,. or on' the; same principle," said: groove may communicatewith the outside' s'ym metrical groove and extend to the point of the.

iron.

1. laundry iron having a smoothing.

plate, the: working. face of said: smoothing" platebeing perfectly plane and'being provided with a series of. endless, symmetrical Y depressions having a' common centerof symmetry', said. depressions forming increasingly larger steam spaces.

2.. A laundry iron. ha vingtai smoothing plate,-the' working faceof said smoothing plate being perfectly plane and beingprovi'de'd with .aseriesof endless, annular, cong centric depressions, said depressions form-1 ing increasingly larger-steam spaces, Silld series of. depression 'belng; disposed n 'ofl center relationship toithe. working face leaving. an uninterruptedportion of substantial area at one side of said: series ofdepressions thereby serving to smooth out' the cloth:

' which was raised by theiactionof the steam discharging am said depressions.

3. A laundry iron having a smoothing plate, the working face of said smoothing plate being perfectly plane and: being provided with a series ofdepressions'surround- 7 ing one another at least twoipfwhich: are

endless, symmetrical, and havea common center of symmetr y ADAM HENRYVPRENZEL. y

thatthe depressions in the working face of I p the smoothing plate, which working face is perfectlyplane, are endless in their configu- 

